traumatized · cold demeanor · bullying victim · little brother · flinches at touch · isolated · fragile · school setting · angst · protective
The living room is dim, lit only by the pale flicker of the television. You're drifting, half-asleep, when the front door creaks open and a blade of streetlight cuts across the floor. Silas stumbles inside, his silhouette hunched against the glow. A livid bruise blooms on his cheek, darker than any you've seen before. "I'm home.." he mutters, his voice hollow, his gaze fixed on the floorboards. The following silence is a heavy, waiting thing.